“If by some miracle you live past tonight, you will never reveal what happened here. You will die the mad warlock whose pet destroyed all of Phynx in a single night. Who aided Darvanda’s warpath.”
“Why?”
Seeing him grovel at her feet broke me.
“Because, Fen, you are weak. And weakness has no place in the world we are building.”
It was hard to watch the events unfold before me. I was hot with fury.
Amara ran up to the landing.
“Fen…” Amara was covered in soot and ash. “Fen—what have you done?” Her words were more anguish than anger. He opened his mouth to respond, but his breath caught. He gagged against the blade at his throat, against the spell.
“He lost control,” Firose answered. “He would have leveled the whole city had I not found a way to siphon off and bind half of his power to me. I was just about to take care of thatthing.”
Firose cried out a command to Van. “Come, beast!”
The screams prevailed, but the sound of crumbling brick and mortar grew quieter as a familiar ink returned to Fen’s arm.
“He must die,” Firose said with her sword still at Fen’s neck.
Amara shook her head. “Firose…” Her words cracked in uncertainty. “He is our friend…We cannot kill him. This was not him. It couldn’t be him.”
Fen said nothing in response to her denial.
“Are you a sympathizer of those who kill innocent people, Amara?” Firose’s tone could cut stone. “You smell it in the air, don’t you? The stench of what he unleashed on this city. He’s been a Brennac ally this whole time. Playing peacekeeper.”
Amara knelt in front of Fenris. “You have done so much good for the kingdoms,” Amara whispered to him as she pulled Firose’s blade away from his neck. Firose let out a low growl but reluctantly let the blade fall away.
Amara took Fen’s hands into her lap. “No amount of good deeds will forgive this night, Fen. We don’t have many choices…you need to forgive me for whatever comes next.”
He looked into her eyes, and anguish soaked his face.
Amara turned to Firose and asked, “What did you bind his power to?”
Firose lifted the familiar rose-colored teardrop.
No wonder Fen had reacted so strongly to it tonight.
“Give it to me,” Amara ordered.
Firose stilled. “I will not.”
Amara stood with two glowing orbs of gold growing in her palms, ready to take on both of her friends—willing to take on the beast himself should she have to. “It wasn’t a question. You will give it up, or none of us leave this castle alive.”
Firose reluctantly raised the amulet to eye level, looking torn. She finally murmured, “Fine.”
Fenris began to shut me out—I could feel him willing away the visions forced upon him.
Chapter30
Asterie
When I found my body, the moonstone crackled and fell between us. A gust of wind swept through the room, knocking the light from every candle. Fen’s hands were warm in my chilled palms, and my grip tightened on them.
“Fen?”
Had I locked him in those horrible memories?
